@devimplode : sorry, but I'm still kinda confused about mapping to a model : using md-select as an example, I have a table of state codes [{code: "AL", name: "Alaska"},{..}]

<md-selectng-model="$ctrl.data.stateCode"><md-optionng-repeat="item in $ctrl.states"value="{{item.code}}">{{item.name}}</md-option></md-select>

so, on startup, this if $ctrl.data.stateCode is "AL", the selection displays "Alaska". When I browse the selection, I see the list of state names, and when I choose the state, then $ctrl.data.stateCode is set to the code, not the name of the select item

how do I replicate this, but using autocomplete instead of select ? I think that I can set the value of the model whenever the item is changed, but how do I get it to display the current value on startup like selection does ?